Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-02-22
THE TEXAS OUTRAGES.
THE CONTINUATION OF THE INVESTIGA-
TION INTO THE 0UTRAGES
Alleged to Have Taken Place at the Election II
Washington COunty-How Judge Kirk
STIRRED Up a Riot and Hoo
dOOei the Ballot Box.

W NASHlNGION, ISuiudlg 81 "
Hackworth (white) Jnstice of the Peace o
Washington county, Texas, was recalled
by the Texas Investigation Committee to
day.
He identified the following note received
by him through the mail:
BRENNAN December 25.
r. p: Hdck1rOrta:
SIR-You have had plenty oftime to get
away from this county. We know you
have been stealing from this county fol
the last two years and are rs mean and
dangerous as any of your crowd. We are
determined to get rid of you, and if you
don't 20, and that soon, we will proceed
TO handle rs we think best.
TSigned1 SECRETARY CITIZENS"
Carl Schuetze (white), Al years of age,
lone of the MemOrialists) was then sworn.
lie is personally Republican, but pub
lished an Independent German paper at
Brenham and afterwards at Galveston. He
left Brenham on the 18th Of last December.
The average Republican majority in the
county was, he believed, 500 or 600. Wit
ness was County Attorney from 1876 to
1880. Witness only made one speech dur
ing the last campaign. He refused to take
part in it because he wished to devote him.
self to his paper.
Threats were made during the campaign
by Judge Kirk against MIR. HackwOrth.
They were to the effect that he Kirk
would hold HackwOrth to account person
ally for anything he might say during the
campaign.
S. Hacksworth, one of the memorialists,
was sworn. He is AZ years OF age. He was
born in Washington county. lsa real estate
agent. In 1870 he was presiding justice OF
the county. Witness and Moore and
Scheutz the three memorialists) were the
most active Republican participants in the
last county election. In answer to Senator
SpoOner the witness described the shooting
of three cOlOred men ut the chapel hill pre-
cinct in 1884. No effort was made
by the county officials to apprehend the
perpetrators of the outrage, nor was any
reward ever offered for them. So far as
lie knew, the county grand jury never
made any investigation of the matter. The
usual Republican majority, i'll what was
called Washington precinct, was about
200. About o'clock in the evening OF
the late election day, witness heard that
kilograms to the Democratic leaders show
ed the election had gone Republican by
unusually large majorities. A short while
afterwards word came to witness that
Judge Kirk, the Democratic County Judge,
was
TRYING To PROVOKE A RIOT
went To the place and found Kirk doing
his best to provoked difficulty with Moore.
Judge Kirk cursed him brntally and told
him to come down the railroad track and
he wOuld settle his hash. Witness told
Judge Kirk it was his duty as county Judge
to preserve the peace and not TO provoke Z
riot. Judge Kirk had his hands i'll his
pocket and witness could see the outline
of Il revolver Kinks friends were
standing around with their hands
at their pistol pockets. Judge Kirk had
his bulldozers stationed around so that the
moment fighting began the Republicans
would have been killed Witness and his
friends understood the game and took the
abuse. Judge Kirk had everything cut
and dried to provoke riot. Kirk was
mad at being defeated. Later in the day
Kirk and other Democrats were in consul
tatiOn and witness became satisfied that
Kirk intended to use the kukluN and de
stroy the ballot boxes.